The University of Idaho’s archive was started by UI Librarian Belle Sweet, who began collecting books sometime shortly after the 1906 fire in the Admin building, said UI archivist Ashlyn Velte.
“Archives have the power to impact people today,” Velte said. “It’s powerful how much you can learn from the past.”
On Wednesday, from about 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., UI archivists Velte and Erin Stoddart joined archivists around the country in Ask an Archivist Day, answering questions about what the special collections can do for students and professors and about the archivists who keep them. This is the first time UI has participated in Ask an Archivist Day, Velte said.
“We are the repository for records we consider to have permanent historical value,” Velte said.
She said the archive has records for university history, including presidents, committees and clubs, as well as photos and records of campus. She said they also house records of Idaho history, particularly of northern Idaho and the mining, lumber and railroad industries that shaped it.
“We have a photograph collection called Barnard Stockbridge collection of photographs into the 20th century of mining towns along the Silver Valley and it’s an excellent record of mining history in the area with pictures of workers and people in the community,” Velte said.
The archives can assist students and instructors in research on topics that would benefit from a historical perspective such as sociology or the environment, Velte said.
Today, the Special Collections and Archives department is housed on the first floor of the UI Library in room 121.
She said the archives also have an exhibit of university tradition housed in city hall.
“We have the first physical manifestation of the UI Vandal,” Velte said. “We call him ‘Baby Joe.’ He’s a little one-foot statue with a baby face and a man’s body. It’s interesting to see how different the original vandal was from the current one.”
The archives are open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the UI Library. Velte said the archives will have longer hours as of next semester. The archives can assist students and instructors in research on topics that would benefit from a historical perspective such as sociology or the environment, Velte said.
“When professors and student researchers need primary sources, we’re here to provide those or help locate those,” Velte said.
Nishant Mohan may be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @NishantRMohan